Stop Missing Out on High-Quality Leads While Chasing Generic Marketing Noise
Imagine turning your daily walk-ins and online buzz into a steady stream of qualified leads that actually book tables or order catering – without the hassle of mismatched templates that ignore your unique menu specials or peak-hour rushes.
Join 150+ businesses with consistent lead growth
The "Lead Drought" Problem
Generic tools ignore your peak-hour chaos, like the 6-9 PM dinner rush, and bombard you with irrelevant walk-in leads when your kitchen is slammed with 200+ covers
Struggling to capture catering inquiries from events that match your menu strengths, such as wedding buffets featuring seasonal farm-fresh salads or corporate cocktail hours with charcuterie spreads
Wasting ad spend on broad campaigns that attract one-time tourists instead of repeat locals who crave your farm-to-table vibe and signature dishes like house-smoked brisket
Manual lead tracking overwhelms your front-of-house staff, pulling them from plating perfect dishes
Seasonal slumps hit hard when off-the-shelf software can't adapt to holiday party surges with 50-guest bookings or slow winters with fewer than 100 daily covers
Lost opportunities from online reviews praising your gluten-free pasta that don't convert to reservations because follow-ups feel robotic and ignore diner preferences like allergy accommodations
Our Custom AI Lead Generation Built Just for Your Restaurant
With years of hands-on experience optimizing workflows for busy kitchens and dining rooms, we've helped spots like yours ditch the guesswork.
Why Choose Us
Here's the thing: one-size-fits-all lead gen tools are like a poorly seasoned dish – they might fill the plate, but they never quite hit the spot for your restaurant's unique flavor. At AIQ Labs, we build a custom AI system tailored to your exact needs, from scraping local event listings for catering leads to enriching data with diner preferences pulled from your POS system. You're probably thinking, 'How does this fit my workflow?' We start by mapping your daily operations – think reservation spikes on weekends or promo pushes for new specials – and craft flexible automations that integrate seamlessly. No more juggling disconnected apps during a rush. It's your owned system, scalable as your business grows, ensuring every lead feels personal, like a recommendation from a regular.
What Makes Us Different:
Why This Transforms Your Guest Pipeline
Precision Leads That Convert Faster
Forget sifting through tire-kickers. Our custom AI scores leads based on your historical data – say, favoring groups of 10+ for private dining events or brunch parties for 20. Restaurants see a 35% uptick in booking rates within the first month, turning cold prospects into confirmed reservations for family-style Italian feasts without extra ad spend.
Effortless Workflow Integration
We weave this into your existing setup, like syncing with Toast POS or Square for real-time lead alerts during off-peak hours, such as post-lunch lulls. Your ops team saves 15 hours weekly on manual outreach, letting them focus on perfecting that signature sauce or training staff on upselling wine pairings instead of chasing ghosts.
Scalable Growth Without the Overhaul
As your spot expands – maybe adding a food truck for farmers' markets or delivery via DoorDash – our system flexes with you. No subscription traps; it's built for ownership, helping one client double catering revenue in six months by auto-nurturing seasonal leads like summer BBQ inquiries for pulled pork platters.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ, we were drowning in generic leads from Facebook ads that never panned out for our farm-to-table focus – think tourists wanting quick bites instead of our herb-roasted chicken dinners. Their custom system now pulls in locals searching for organic brunches, and we've booked 20 more events this quarter alone, like garden weddings. It's like having an extra host who never sleeps."
Maria Gonzalez
Owner, Green Leaf Bistro in Portland, OR
"Let's be honest, lead gen felt like guessing games during our slow winters, with empty tables and no holiday buzz. AIQ built something that scans Yelp reviews and event sites for winter party prospects matching our Italian menu, like osso buco for corporate dinners. In three months, catering inquiries jumped 45%, and setup took just two weeks – no downtime during our busy fall season."
Tom Reilly
General Manager, Bella Italia Trattoria in Chicago, IL
"You're probably thinking custom AI sounds fancy, but it was straightforward and didn't disrupt our lunch rush. They integrated it with our Resy bookings, enriching leads with dietary prefs from past orders, like nut-free options for kids' parties. No more missed vegan catering ops – revenue from events is up 30% year-over-year, especially for our plant-based tasting menus."
Sarah Kim
Operations Director, Urban Vegan Kitchen in Seattle, WA
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and Mapping
We dive into your restaurant's world – chatting about peak shifts, menu heroes, and pain points like flaky walk-in conversions. This shapes a blueprint tailored to your flow, ensuring the AI fits like a glove.
Custom Build and Integration
Our engineers craft the AI engine from scratch, scraping sources like local event boards and enriching with your POS data. We test it against real scenarios, like a sudden brunch rush, for seamless CRM handoff.
Launch, Optimize, and Scale
Go live with monitoring to tweak for your unique needs – maybe prioritizing rooftop party leads in summer. We provide ongoing support, watching metrics like lead-to-booking ratios to keep things humming as you grow.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does custom lead generation differ from standard email marketing for my restaurant?
Standard email blasts are like serving the same plate to everyone – some love it, most don't. Our custom AI goes deeper, scraping specific sources like local wedding planners or corporate event boards to find leads hungry for your cuisine. It enriches them with details from your past orders, scoring them for fit – say, high for groups seeking gluten-free options. Integrated right into your booking system, it automates personalized follow-ups, like 'Saw you're planning a team lunch – try our family-style platters?' Restaurants using this see 30-50% better conversion than generic lists, without spamming your database. We build it to your workflow, so it doesn't disrupt service. Setup takes 4-6 weeks, with full ownership from day one.
What if my restaurant has seasonal fluctuations, like slow summers?
Seasonal dips are tough in Food Service – one client lost 40% of leads in July heatwaves. Our system is flexible, using AI to pivot: in slow months, it ramps up scraping for off-site events like beach picnics that match your portable menu items. We train models on your historical data to predict surges, auto-adjusting campaigns for things like back-to-school family dinners. No rigid schedules; it's built to scale with your calendar, integrating with tools like Google Calendar for event tie-ins. The result? Steady leads year-round, with one bistro maintaining 20% growth even in off-seasons. We monitor and tweak quarterly to keep it aligned.
Will this integrate with my existing POS or reservation software?
Absolutely – integration is our specialty. Whether you're on Toast, Square, or Resy, we create deep, two-way connections so leads flow in and update automatically. For example, a new catering inquiry from a scraped event listing gets enriched with past diner notes, then pops into your dashboard with a suggested menu upsell. No manual entry that steals time from the line. We've done this for 50+ spots, reducing data errors by 60%. It's custom-coded for reliability, not brittle zaps that fail mid-rush. During build, we map your exact workflow to ensure it feels native.
How much does a custom lead gen system cost for a small restaurant?
Costs vary by your scale, but for a 50-seat spot, expect $15K-$25K upfront for build and integration, with optional $500/month maintenance – far less than juggling $2K+ in monthly subs for disconnected tools. Think of it as investing in a sous chef who never tires, delivering ROI through 2-3x more qualified leads in the first year. We break it down in discovery: basic scraping and enrichment starts lower, adding voice AI bumps it up. No lock-ins; you own it. Clients recoup in 4-6 months via extra bookings, like one cafe adding $10K in monthly catering.
Can this handle leads for specific niches, like vegan or fine dining?
Yes, we tailor it precisely – for vegan spots, the AI targets sources like plant-based forums and events, filtering for keywords like 'cruelty-free catering.' It enriches with your menu data to score leads on match, ignoring meat-heavy inquiries. Fine dining? It prioritizes high-ticket prospects from luxury event lists, personalizing outreach with wine pairing suggestions. This niche focus cut noise by 70% for a client, turning 15% more leads into $200+ reservations. We customize during discovery, ensuring it amplifies your unique edge without broad, ineffective nets.
What kind of results can I expect in the first few months?
Real talk: early wins come quick. In month one, you'll see leads streaming from targeted scrapes – say, 50 qualified prospects vs. your usual 20 scattershot ones. By month two, with integrations live, conversion rates climb as follow-ups hit at peak times, like emailing brunch seekers Saturday mornings. Full clients report 25-40% lead volume growth and 30% better close rates within 90 days. One tapas bar went from 5 catering gigs quarterly to 12, adding $15K revenue. We track KPIs like source-to-booking time, optimizing weekly to hit your goals faster.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.